Avia built van-bodied versions of its light trucks, known as furgons, alongside the platform trucks. The first was the A15F of 1978, and the type continued through the A20 and A21 generations until the end of the A series.
Avia Furgon at a glance
| Type | furgon (van) body on the A-series chassis |
|---|---|
| First model | A15F, 1978 |
| Series versions | A15 F / A20 F, later A21 FC |
| Body assembly | Letňany, from pressed parts, from 1989 |
| Plants | Letňany, Žilina, Heršpice, Ivančice |
| Engine (A21) | 712.18, 3,595 cc diesel, 61 kW |
| Gearbox (A21) | five-speed manual |
| Wheelbases | N 3,240 mm, K 2,680 mm, L 3,640 mm |
| Other bodies | box, insulated box, mobile workshop, mobile shop |
| Production ended | with the A series, 1998 |
The furgon has no article of its own; it is described in the Avia company history on English Wikipedia and in the Czech article on the A series, which lists the furgon versions and the plants that built them.
History of the Avia Furgon
The A series was designed as a chassis-cab, so the body was built by Avia’s own plants or by specialist coachbuilders. The Žilina plant assembled tippers and tankers, and from 1978 it also built the furgon A15F, a van body that soon became one of the most popular versions. The Letňany factory itself fitted part of its chassis with platform bodies and also built vehicles with furgon-type bodies, while Heršpice concentrated on box bodies and Ivančice on specialised box versions such as mobile workshops.
The Czech Wikipedia list of versions names the A15 F and A20 F as “skříňový automobil typu furgon”, the box-bodied van of the range, alongside platform trucks, insulated boxes, mobile shops, postal vans and even a hearse. The body assortment grew through the 1980s to include box bodies, isothermic boxes, bodies with a cooling unit, assembly platforms, container bodies, tippers and towing trucks.
The A21 FC
In 1989, after the Avia concern had been split into separate businesses, the Letňany works began assembling A21 FC furgons from pressed parts. These vans used the same cab and 3,595 cc 712.18 diesel as the A21 truck, with the five-speed gearbox introduced in 1983, and were used as delivery vans, mobile shops and service vehicles. Turbocharged A21T furgons followed in the 1990s.
The furgon remained part of the A-series programme until production of the range ended at the end of 1998.
Design and features
- Van body on a truck chassis: the furgon combined the A-series mechanicals with a fully enclosed body.
- Built in-house: Žilina built the first furgons from 1978, and Letňany assembled the A21 FC from 1989.
- Wide body range: box, insulated, mobile workshop, mobile shop and postal versions shared the same chassis.
- Same mechanics as the trucks: 712.18 diesel, five-speed gearbox and three wheelbase lengths.
Avia Furgon versions
- A15 F / A20 F: the first series furgons, listed as box-bodied vans in the Czech version list.
- A21 FC (1989): furgon assembled at Letňany from pressed parts.
- A21T furgon: turbocharged version of the 1990s.
- Mobile shop and workshop bodies: specialised box versions built at Ivančice.
The furgon shared its cab and mechanics with the Avia A21 and the heavier Avia A31. More models are in the Avia collection.
Sources
- Avia Motors, English Wikipedia: A21 FC furgons, body assortment, plants
- Avia A 15 / A 20 / A 30, Czech Wikipedia: version list, Žilina furgons, Ivancice bodies
